False Expectations
by HollyShannenForever
Summary: She & her children needed a better life away from the demon that caused them all their misery. They're laying low in an alley, so that's scary enough as it is but then, everything takes a turn again. They know they can't be apart. Nothing is going their way! Once happiness comes around the corner, they know there's no turning back to the pain-filled lives they used to lead.
1. Despair

Torrential rain. It poured and poured. The day out looked bleak and it matched the way she felt. She sat huddled against a hard, brick wall, her hands over her knees in a fetal position. Loose strands from her oily hair gently blew in the soft breeze. It was the coldest day she had seen in months and her teeth chattered. Her old woolen sweater was threadbare and was coming undone on the sleeves near her hand. Even though she wasn't consciously aware she was doing it, she was tugging on loose wool stands as her mind worked over time in her anxiousness. She began to jolt backwards and forwards, as if she was rocking herself better.

Merely a few yards from her, there were people everywhere. The place was quite crowded but she never felt so alone in her whole life. Teenagers were giggling and texting as they shopped, middle-aged housewives were catching up over coffee and office workers quickly darted through crowds of people to get back to the office. The whole world was going about their day to day lives and it didn't even occur to them that she was going through her own personal hell. Every once in a while, someone would notice her and they would give her a disgusted look, or even worse; a pity stare.

She used to be like them; she used to be normal. Well, as 'normal' as normal is. She couldn't help but feel a longing to go back in time, maybe about six months. Six months ago, she was one of them, one of those normal people going about their lives. She couldn't help but think back to how she got there.


	2. Deep Inside

**Thank you to CharmedAddict11 for beta'ing!**

Piper Halliwell dreaded every day of high school even though she wasn't at Baker High yet. She had experience from middle school. She would get pushed around and teased mercilessly, all because she was one of the top students and she wore glasses and had braces. She was her mother, Patty's pride and joy, and an older girl named Sheila was her only female friend, really. All of her friends her age were guys in the chess club. It wasn't that she minded, but she couldn't have girl talk with them. Sheila would be in college when she was in high school, and then they would drift apart.

For a short time when she was thirteen, she dated Mark Chang, but he was fatally murdered in an alley. He was in the hospital from a wound near his heart and he was slowly dying as she sat by his bed.

"I'm so sorry I have to go like this, Piper," he said in an inaudible voice, but since they were the only two in the room, she could hear him.

"No, Mark, please stay with me…please, I love you. I love you!" she sobbed. She took his hand, which was as cold as ice. He squeezed her hand. His lips were turning blue, and she kissed them. "How can I live…"

"You'll find someone, trust me. I'll always be with you, Piper. I…love…you…"

"No!" Piper screamed as he stopped talking and lay still on the cot. "Oh, god! No!" She rested her head on his chest and cried for hours.

She then decided she would grow old and alone because besides Mark, no boy was interested in her in a romantic way.

One day, ten months later, the month before high school started, everything changed.

"Sheila, look at that hot guy up there," Piper murmured to her best friend.

"What, that cocky-looking lifeguard?" Sheila muttered.

"Hey, be nice! How should I get his attention?"

"You shouldn't. You would look so desperate. You've just turned fourteen years old, you shouldn't be this insistent on hooking up with random guys."

"I won't hook up with him! I just want him to say hi to me."

"Yeah, with guys like him, 'hi' turns into 'fuck me' pretty quickly!"

Piper jabbed her friend in the arm with her elbow. "Shut up! What are you, my mother?"

"No, but I _am_ older than you."

"Yeah, by like, three years," Piper scoffed. "How do you know so much about guys, anyway?"

"I've been hit on by guys like him. They're all sleazebags. I'm protecting you from getting hurt, sweetie."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine, Sheila. Come on, let's race in the waves!" They pulled off their summer dresses to reveal their new and skimpy bathing suits. Piper's was a little more conservative than Sheila's, but it still showed off her blooming cleavage. At fourteen, she almost had a womanly body, but she was shy of it.

Sheila rolled her eyes and they jumped in the water after running for a few minutes. A huge wave crashed over them both, and Sheila came up gasping. She tried to find Piper, but the lifeguard Piper was staring at got to the water first.

Piper waved her arms and tried to scream through the water, but she couldn't make any sounds. She coughed and felt her world going dark, but then, lean arms pulled her out. Water dribbled out of her mouth as she tried to thank the man who saved her. She was half-laughing, and half crying.

Sheila swam to the shore and covered up her bikini-clad body with a towel. Piper caught her breath and held onto the man tighter. She still couldn't believe that she was in her crush's arms. He grinned smugly and her insides melted.

"Trying to catch a wave, eh?"

"Yeah," Piper muttered sheepishly.

"I'm Jeremy, and you're hot. We should go out."

Sheila groaned in the background, but Piper ignored her. "Yeah...that would be fun. When? We can go whenever you want...I've got all summer!"

"We'll go out tonight. Wear something that shows off your growing body. You look a little young. How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen. My name is Piper." She couldn't stop staring at the man's muscles up close. He hadn't put her down yet. In fact, he was sitting on the sand with her sandwiched between his legs. She wasn't sure what she should do. She'd never sat in anyone's lap before in a sexual way. Not even Mark was this handsy with her-he just gave her gentle touches and kisses. Needless to say, she was nervous. She weakly laid her hands on Jeremy's knees.

"Well, damn, girl..." He kissed her lips and ran his tongue over her teeth. She hadn't made out with any guys before, either. It felt nice and she was excited, but she wasn't sure she should be doing this at her age. Still, she kissed him back.

"I'm almost in high school. I graduated middle school last month, no two months ago...I mean, I'll be in freshman year next month..."

He kept at it. He wouldn't let her talk, and she laughed while returning his kisses. He rubbed his hands up and down her back and sides. She gasped when he lifted her up and put her legs around his middle. "I'm almost nineteen and I'll be graduating high school next May."

Sheila choked out her water that she was drinking. "Dude, that is illegal! She's a minor! Not only that, but she's like my baby sister!"

"Relax, babe, it's not sex," Jeremy muttered and walked away, still carrying Piper.

"Wait, where are you taking her?"

"Up here," he said over his shoulder and walked up to his lifeguard chair. It was a bit high for Piper, but she knew she wasn't going to fall with him there. His hold on her wouldn't break. She felt safe with him.

"I love the view!" Piper cried. "I think I should paint this, or something."

"Nah, you're good here with me."

"I know that, but like, later..."

That night, they went to a nice restaurant. Jeremy had a lot of money on him, and he took them out. They had trout, which was his choice. Piper didn't like any kind of fish, but she didn't complain. They ate in silence and looked at each other a few times. Actually, she caught Jeremy staring at her every time she glanced up from her plate. She felt self-conscious and crossed her legs, one ankle over the other. She adjusted the straps of her green dress and pulled it up so the tops of her breasts wouldn't show too much. She bit her lip.

"What is it, Jeremy?"

"Nothing. You just look great, that's all."

"Thanks. I did my best. I had to hide this dating thing from my mom. I just met you, and Sheila's keeping my secret. She's my best friend, by the way. We met in middle school, when I was in sixth grade and she was in eighth."

"That's cool. You guys ever smoke weed?"

"No, we don't...it's bad for your health."

"Yeah, but it's fun! I bet you guys have never been to a party, either."

"We go to parties all the time! You should have been at my thirteenth birthday party...we played Spin the Bottle and had a sleepover!"

"Not that kind of party," Jeremy sniggered. "Wild party, with drugs, sex, booze, and weed. I host those parties all the time. You have to come to my next one."

Piper raised her eyebrows and blushed with embarrassment. "My mom would never let me. I'm too young."

"Sneak? Come on, you're almost in high school, you've gotta get used to it and live a little!"

"Like, sneak out of my house?"

"Lie to your mom. Tell her you're going to a friend's house to spend the night, and then boom, go to my party!"

"Thanks for the idea, Jeremy."

At the end of the date, they made out in the car and then he took her home. She ran up her porch steps and rang the doorbell. Her tired mother, Patty, opened the door.

"How was your girls' night with Sheila?"

"It was fun." Piper hugged Patty tightly and ran up the stairs.

She texted Sheila all about her date with Jeremy and then got into bed. She fanned herself at the thought of Jeremy wanting to do different things with her and then slapped herself. She didn't even know him, and already, her mind was going to the gutter.

She tried to fall asleep, but she kept waking up every hour. She was now addicted to him. Apparently, he liked her the same way, because she heard her bedroom window squeak open. She opened her eyes wide and rubbed them, to dispel the illusion of Jeremy climbing through the open window and getting under her sheets. It wasn't an illusion, though, he was really here, with her, in her bed, squeezing her against him. She gasped out loud and he covered her mouth.

"I came in here to say hey," he whispered. "I wanted to check up on you. I missed you."

She kissed his shoulder. "Hey. I'm feeling good. Missed you too."

"Is your mom fast asleep?"

"Yeah, but she gets up for work at five in the morning," she warned him.

"Good, I'll leave then. I love you."

Piper believed him. Her heart belonged to him now, and she dreamed of the day she'd be his wife and bear his children.

A month later brought on her first day of high school. She was walking to her locker when Jeremy walked up to her and leaned back on the locker next to hers.

"Hey," he started, making her look up in surprise.

"Oh, hi."

"I haven't seen you around before."

"I'm a freshman, that's why. Do you know my friend Justin?"

"Yeah, I know everybody and everything about this school. Nice to see you again. I'm the football quarterback…I'm so glad it's my senior year. I had to repeat it, because I failed English last year."

Piper looked at him for a few seconds. _Wow_. _He was hot, nice, and strong with muscles, he was a second year senior, and a football player. He seemed very nice. She was glad he went to her school, because on the last day of summer, she feared she'd never see him again._

He ran a hand through his brown hair. "Would you mind tutoring me? You look smart and old enough to be a senior. I thought you were a senior when we first met, swear to god."

She blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah, you're really pretty. Actually, you're smoking hot. I got a thing for short girls with dark brown hair and bangs."

"Wow…I'm flattered." Her heart leapt and she thought he could help her get over Mark, whenever she was ready to tell him. "I would love to tutor you," she said, looking up at him from under her eyelashes. She read in a magazine that it made guys fall for girls instantly. She didn't ever do that with Mark before they dated because she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. _This guy was already her boyfriend and very outgoing, so it could work_. "But you'd have to come to my house. My mom is a little…" She gave him a small shrug and shook her head.

"Overprotective? Overbearing?"

"Exactly, it's like…but I know she loves me, and that's why she's very protective of me. She doesn't let me go anywhere alone with guys except for my best guy friend, Justin. Maybe you shouldn't meet her yet. It's so soon."

"I'm extremely glad I met you, Pixie."

"Oh, it's Piper." She let out a small laugh. "And I'm also glad I met you, Jeremy."

"Piper…sorry. I just had a bad breakup with my girlfriend…my mind wanders sometimes," he apologized.

"Oh, that's all right."

"Hey, make sure to come to my nineteeth birthday party next month."

"I-I'll be there," she promised.

"Yeah, everyone will be there. Well, I'll see you around…Piper. Cute smile, by the way." He picked up her hand and kissed it. "Mind if I escort you to your next class after lunch?"

"I don't mind," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Good." Then, he turned and walked away. She started doing a little dance in front of her locker and squealing.

The next four hours passed by slowly and then it was finally time for lunch. She ate with Jeremy and told Justin she'd eat with him another time.

When lunch ended, Jeremy held her hand and with his other hand, he carried her books, as they walked to her class. "I can't get enough of your cute little fingers," Jeremy said, kissing each of them and making Piper blush. Everyone backed up against lockers and started whispering to each other and giggling.

_"What a surprise…his new girl is a dorky looking freshman."_

_"What's her name?"_

_"They look so good together."_

_"God, she's tiny!"_

_"I can't believe he didn't choose me!"_

_"He's such a dick."_

_"She's so cute."_

_"He's hot!"_

"Don't worry about them, baby, it's just about you and me," Jeremy said, rubbing circles on her arm as they stopped at Piper's class. "Love you." He pecked her on the cheek before walking away. She put her hand to her cheek. It was still warm, and so was her hand. The feeling down there would not go away.

She considered herself a very lucky girl. Having found a second chance at love at only fourteen, she just couldn't believe it. Jeremy Burns was the star football player and wrestling champ. He was a senior and the lord of the kingdom called Baker High School. He also was Piper's boyfriend whom she adored to the ends of the earth. Her single friend, Sheila, was jealous, but she was also doubtful that the relationship would last. Piper would always tell her to just mind her own business. She was the cheer captain because of him. He made her. She loved him for it.

She didn't see what he really liked about her, though. She was a pale girl who wore no makeup and had her hair in loose curls. Her body wasn't voluptuous by any means. She was just your average girl. She had barely no waist and small breasts. Her butt was as flat as a board. She was by no means sexy in any way. Jeremy thought she was though, and she believed him whenever he whispered that she was beautiful in her ear and kissed that little spot on the side of her neck where she liked to be touched.

"Piper, you are my girl, and you will always be mine, no matter what anyone else says," he promised her in a passionate moment on his bed on Valentine's Day. It was a Friday night, so she told her mom she was spending the night at Sheila's house.

"Yes," she moaned as he caressed her breasts and made out with her at the same time. "I love you..."

"Me too. Forever until we take our last breaths."

Piper sighed and butterflies filled her belly. She giggled when he tickled her bare skin underneath her shirt. She blushed brightly when he slapped her butt. He took off his jersey while he leaned on his knees, which were on either side of her legs. Piper gasped when he threw the jersey across the room.

"Are we going to..." she trailed off shyly.

"You're so cute when you're naive."

Piper laughed and traced his tattoo on his chest. "When did you get this tattoo again?"

"Same day I got my tongue piercing." Jeremy licked the top of her chest and she smiled at the feel of the cool metal against her hot skin. "My nineteenth birthday."

"I remember. You didn't even need me to hold your hand. You're so strong. You can even breathe through the pain."

"It wasn't that bad."

"I admire you, Jeremy."

"Good. You're my girlfriend."

"That's my job!"

"Want to unbutton me?" Jeremy gestured to his pants. "Come on, baby, don't be scared."

"I...I'm not," she mumbled. With shaking fingers, she undid his pants and pulled the zipper down. She was surprised to see how excited he was for her. He ripped off her top and bra in one second and tore down her jeans and underpants in the next.

"God, I love you."

For the tiniest second, Piper felt exposed and frozen under his lustful gaze. She groaned in pain as he entered her, but a few minutes later, she was panting and very wet for him.

After their hot night together, she stayed by his side until the next morning. She kissed his naked back and reached over his hip to wake him up with a hand job. He grunted and tried to sit up, but he failed. Piper giggled. "Good morning."

"Well, that was a nice way to get me up," he chuckled and smirked down at her. "My parents picked the best time to be away on vacation, huh?"

"Yes, they did."

Jeremy bragged to his friends that he took Piper's virginity. She squealed about it to her friends.

"You what?" Shelia almost screamed in her face.

"He was so good," Piper said and sighed happily.

"This has all happened in what, five months? Jesus Christ, Piper, we haven't hung out in forever."

"I know, girl, we'll hang out soon."

"No we won't! He's got you occupied twenty-four seven! You have to introduce him to your mom now. You're bound to him. You've done the deed."

"Yeah, I know..."

"Can I go to your house this Friday?" Jeremy asked when they were in school together again. "I'd like to meet your mom."

"Sounds good. I'll ask her first. But I'm sure she'll approve."

"I'll be on my best behavior."

After school, she ran inside the house to tell her mom. She could tell Patty everything now!

"Did you see anyone you liked?" Patty asked when Piper got to the kitchen where she was making a snack for them both.

She shook her head, feeling her cheeks warm up. Patty touched her cheek and smiled. "You're blushing. Honey, I have a right to know who you love. Who is it? Tell me everything."

"Mom, I'm going out with Jeremy Burns," Piper announced with a giggle. "He's a senior, a football player…he likes me too. He's so…yummy! He kissed me on the cheek! Is it okay if he comes over this Friday for me to tutor him?"

"That's a little fast, and what happened to Mark?"

"Mom, I don't like thinking about my first boyfriend…it's too tragic. Now Jeremy and I have a date at our house!"

"That's fine with me. I'd like to meet him."

"He said I had a cute smile and I looked like a senior! Can you believe it?"

"Well, I guess love at first sight _can_ happen…" Patty trailed off, shrugging.

"You better believe it!" Piper said happily.

"Why haven't I met him yet?"

"We've only been dating for like, two days. I think I should wait a month for the 'meet the parents' thing. I haven't met his parents yet either. It's no big deal," she lied casually.

"Shouldn't he be picking you up?"

"He is...it's our first date. We kissed two days ago."

"Randomly?"

"No, we were friends first...sort of...he thought I was cute, and he asked me out. You know."

"No, I don't know. You don't just jump into a relationship like that. You have to get to know each other first."

"Mom, I know, I'm not twelve. We're getting to know each other during our relationship. I don't know if we'll last, but we're both willing to try. The 'I love yous' haven't even been exchanged."

"All right, well, I just don't want my baby girl getting her heart broken." Patty hugged her daughter and kissed the top of her head. Piper smiled.

She spent the whole night dancing in her room to love songs. She felt like flying and spinning around…the kiss and the making love was wonderful. _He was the one._

Since Patty seemed to have forgotten Jeremy was coming over, she didn't think anything of it when a man named Sam asked her out on a date. She left the house with him just before Jeremy arrived at Piper's house. He made sure to stay for only an hour so Patty wouldn't catch him. Piper played innocent when her mom came home and she teased her mom for being a little out of it because of how Sam treated her so well.

_Now we both have awesome guys_, Piper thought.

Her mother married Sam when she turned fifteen, six months later. Since she never knew her father, she grew to like Sam a lot. Patty met Jeremy before another date, but Sam hadn't gotten to meet him yet since he was a doctor and not home.

The doorbell rang and Patty went downstairs to get it. Piper heard the door open while she was gathering things to put in her purse.

"So, this is the famous Jeremy, huh?" Patty asked and went to shake his hand. He kissed her hand instead.

"Yes, and it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"I'm Patty."

"Patty," he repeated to himself. "Here comes your lovely daughter, who obviously got her looks from you."

"You're so polite," Patty commented.

Piper put her purse over her shoulder and ran downstairs.

"Hey, Piper...the color of your dress matches the color of your eyes, both quite beautiful."

She looked down shyly. "Thank you."

After their date, Jeremy said, "I'll take you back to my place...unless nobody's home at your house?"

"My mom and stepdad are at home so your place is better."

"Alright, come on." He helped her from her seat and put his arm around her waist. Piper smiled as they left the restaurant.

When their date was over, Jeremy lifted Piper into his car and then got in on the driver's side. "I hope you like rock music and fast cars cuz it's gonna be a wild ride..."

"Ohh, someone's excited!"

Jeremy chuckled, revved the car, and rolled down the windows while music played. "I like how your hair whips around your face in the wind...it's sexy..."

Piper giggled. "Why, thank you!"

Jeremy rested his hand on Piper's thigh. "You bet..."

She had no idea why she was agreeing with it, but she guessed it was because she needed to step out of her comfort zone. After all, they'd had sex before, but never in a car. He unbuckled her seatbelt and strapped her in with him while they were still driving. Piper shrieked while they swerved.

"Calm down, little one!" He began making out with her. "I can still see the road."

"Jeremy, I don't want to do this..." she mumbled.

"It's only for a second! I love you and I don't want to hurt you!"

"I'm glad...but...I don't..." His fingers were touching her moistened panties and she could barely speak.

"You don't trust me?"

"I..." She nearly passed out when he stuck two fingers in her.

"Fuck, Piper, your pussy is soaked! You'll stain my leather, you naughty girl!"

"I...can't help..." She gasped as she felt another finger go inside her and start pumping. His boner was painfully digging into her ass crack, and her orgasm crashing over her was making her dizzy. She didn't realize they were spinning madly out of control until she heard the boom and saw nothing but blackness.

"Piper," Patty said after the car accident, which got her daughter in a wheelchair. They were now home after being at the hospital overnight.

"Yeah Mom?"

"I want you to be completely honest with me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Were you planning on having sex with Jeremy?"

Piper lowered her eyes to her lap and blushed. "Mm-hm..."

"Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Teenage girls have needs. I was one once."

"You wouldn't mind if we had sex?"

"Well, of course I would mind, but there would be nothing I could do about it if you went behind my back."

"Mom, I don't want to have sex. I'm not ready. It's just...Jeremy...makes me feel...like having sex. I would make sure he used a condom...and I'd go on the pill...but I'm just not prepared right now. If I'm not, why did I get wet?"

Patty let Piper lean against her shoulder as she pulled her baby girl closer to her side. "Boys can touch girls in a way that makes them not in control of their own body. Your mind is saying no, but your body is saying yes. It's the same if it was reversed. If a guy is not in the mood for sex, a girl can change his mind by giving him a simple hand job, or blowjob. Kissing doesn't do it, just touching down there does. The nipples get perky and hard, and you can still get wet when he massages them. If a guy grabs your boobs, that's aggressive. Your cleavage is actually huge, and the correct word is 'massage'. It also sounds more erotic."

"Mom!" Piper exclaimed with a giggle.

"What? I'm just saying..."

"This is too awkward. My mother, who is nearing forty, just said the word 'erotic'."

"What else do you want me to describe it as? Honey, I know seventy year old women who still use that word."

"Like who?"

"Like your grams, Penny."

"Oh, god, Mom!"

"This is supposed to be a serious discussion, Piper!"

"You're making it really hard when you use words like 'erotic'!" Piper hid her face against her mother's shirt.

"I'm sorry," Patty said through bursts of laughter.

"I can't talk to you anymore!"

"Oh, you're being so dramatic! Shut up!"

"No, I'm not!" Piper mumbled and rolled her eyes. "Stop that!" Patty was still giggling like a giddy schoolgirl.

"Yes, you are. I love that word..."

"I have the most embarrassing mother in the world. Plain and simple."

"I'm sure others are worse. Imagine if I said it in public? Oh, the horror! My mom's more humiliating. When I was like twelve, I had a crush on this surfer dude, and I'll never forget what she said to him. She was like, 'my Patty's got the best body of any girl, and if you don't choose her, you're missing out on a real lifetime of fun! Oh, and you've got a damn good set of muscles, too, my boy, and if you two get together, you'll be rocking that bed harder than my husband and I just did a few minutes ago'. Needless to say, we were a nonexistent couple. I didn't talk to her for weeks."

"If you do that, I'll pretend I don't know you."

"Just admit it. You have the coolest mom in the world, and there's nobody who could replace me."

"Eh, you're not that bad," Piper teased Patty.

"Do I look almost forty to you?"

"No, you look about twenty-five," Piper answered honestly.

"That was rhetorical, but thank you, darling."

"You're welcome."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

Patty hugged Piper and rubbed her back soothingly.

"So, do you understand now?"

"Yeah. I can't let Jeremy touch me in my erogenous zones because it makes me say yes when I don't mean it."

"Exactly."

"I don't want to give him the wrong idea. What if I say no and he doesn't think I love him?"

"Sex isn't about love. It's about lust. A relationship without love is nothing, and a relationship without lust is boring. However, you can wait for sex, but you can't wait for love. Love always comes first. If he loves you, he will wait and respect you. Making love for the first time is special, or at least it's supposed to be. Both partners need to consent, otherwise it's rape," Patty explained. "Tell him that."

"Oh okay, I will! Thanks, Mom, you're the best!"

"You are very welcome." Patty kissed her daughter on the head and they watched television until Sam came home. He kissed Patty on the lips. "Hello, dear. Piper, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," Piper said as her stepfather kissed her head.

He shook his head at Piper's condition. "You weren't aware of this when I told Jeremy, but you're not seeing that boy ever again!"

"Dad!" Piper shrieked.

"You're not allowed to be in a car with him, either," he scolded her.

"Won't he get his license taken away?" Patty wondered aloud.

"He will."

"Dad, come on," Piper begged with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She pouted and widened her eyes innocently.

"Nope, it won't work this time. I can't have my daughter in danger again."

"Ugh! I'm fine! You're pissing me off! Isn't that stupid, to irritate your temporarily disabled daughter within five minutes of walking in the house?"

"Watch your mouth, young lady!"

"Sam, don't you think you're overreacting just a little?" Patty asked.

"Yeah, listen to your wife!"

"We'll talk about this. Piper, go to bed. I'm doing this because I love you."

"No, you don't! If you loved me, you'd let me be with my man!" Piper protested. "Now, I feel like Juliet! Thanks a lot, Dad!"

"I won't discuss it any further. Patty, please, help me out here."

"I'll help you carry her to bed. However, I have different thoughts than you on the matter."

Piper's mom and stepdad hated him instantly. Patty said he was arrogant, and she wouldn't allow her to see him. Piper was close with her mother, but now things had changed. Patty sided with her new husband, Sam. It was Patty and Sam versus Piper and Jeremy.

"Sorry, Jeremy, my parents are here, I have to go. I love you so much...good night." Piper hid her phone behind her back.

"I told you to go to bed. You're in bed, but that also meant go to sleep. You have school tomorrow very early in the morning and it's almost midnight." Sam snatched the phone from Piper's hands.

"Sam, give me her phone, please, and let Piper be until you calm down."

He dropped the phone in Patty's hands and left the room.

"Sam hates me, doesn't he?" Piper asked with a sniffle.

"Oh no, sweetie pie. He couldn't hate you. He's just very overprotective."

"He's an idiot!"

"Now, don't say that about your father," Patty said sternly. "He loves you very much."

"Doesn't seem like it, the way he took my phone away from me like I'm a child. God, Mom, I'm fifteen years old!"

"You're still growing up. You're not even in college yet."

"Being a teenager is so hard," Piper choked between sobs. "Your parents want you to be an adult, yet they treat you like a fucking baby!"

"I know. I totally understand. When I was your age, your grams didn't let me drive because of all the drunk drivers on the road. I was so annoyed with her that I took her car and drove all the way to Los Angeles. I had to come back when she called me. I was so grounded."

"She thought you were dead, right?"

"Yeah, because I never talked to her that day. I basically ran away from home."

"Wow..."

Patty got a few tissues from Piper's nightstand and wiped away her tears. "I'm not overly fond of Jeremy for getting you into an accident, but just go slow in this relationship. Don't rush things, and don't let him pressure you into sex either, okay?"

"I won't." Piper blew her nose a few times.

"Promise me?"

"Yes, Mom, I promise."

"Good girl." Patty kissed Piper's forehead.

"Am I still you guys' little princess?"

"Of course you are. Are you ready to sleep now?"

"Yes, good night, Mom."

"Night, honey girl." Patty kissed both Piper's cheeks, and her daughter kissed her mother's cheeks back. Patty plugged Piper's phone into the wall and after closing the door, Piper was sound asleep.

Piper felt herself slipping away through the years that she was with Jeremy. He was very controlling with her, but for some reason, she still loved him. Her grades dropped, she started losing her school friends, and she barely saw her parents, since Jeremy kept her at his apartment. To her parents, she was a rebellious teenager just going through a phase, so they tried to ignore it. On her birthdays, he threw her parties. They were so lavish and so grand. Piper wondered why he lived in a shack if he had this much money.

Piper and Jeremy were lucky until she was sixteen and pregnant. She had to stay back and repeat junior year because of this.

"Did you use protection?" Sheila asked when she heard the news.

"Eh...oh shit! No, I didn't...but let's just hope for the best!"

They crossed their fingers behind their backs, but it didn't work. Piper found herself pregnant a week later and she cried for hours in the bathroom. She didn't know how to tell Jeremy. She didn't know when to tell Jeremy. She hoped he wouldn't be mad. She hugged her knees to her chest and took a few quivering breaths to calm herself down.

She loved kids, but she wasn't ready for one of her own, not in high school! Not when she had to do homework and projects and look into a cooking career!

"What am I gonna do?" she sobbed to herself. "Why me? Why the fuck me?"

She threw the pregnancy stick across the room and it hit the wall.

She finally had to tell her parents when they suspected something was wrong. She kept throwing up in the bathroom and eating excessively. Plus, she had grown half a size and she had to buy herself bigger shirts. Jeremy really liked the fact that her boobs were getting larger day by day. She'd just told her friend her secret so far, but she knew she had to tell Jeremy. The longer she kept it from him, the more furious he would be. Couples tell each other everything.

She put a brave face on when she came up to him one day by his locker while he was talking to a friend. She squeezed his hand and he turned around to look at her. She swallowed hard. "Jeremy...I have to tell you something."

"You sound serious. What's wrong?"

_Just spit it out!_ "I'm pregnant," she whispered. She patted her belly for effect.

A grin broke out across his face. "You're shitting me."

"No, I'm not, I really am pregnant. I found out last time I went to the doctor's."

"What the fuck? How did this happen?"

"You wanted to have sex with me, and I agreed."

"No, I know how it happened...how did it happen after having sex so many times? Why didn't it happen before?"

"I don't know...we didn't use a condom this time."

"Fuck! I knew I forgot something that day!" Jeremy kicked a lower locker a few times, which made Piper jump.

"I'm sorry. I should have reminded you. I was just...out of it," Piper said softly. "You aren't gonna leave me, are you?"

"Leave you?" Jeremy scoffed. "I would never leave you. We'll take care of our kid together, we'll tell your parents, and if they're mad at me, whatever. As long as they don't hurt you."

Piper stepped closer to her boyfriend and leaned her head on his chest. "I knew you would understand."

"I know desires. Right now, I have one for you." He lifted her up and pushed her gently against the lockers. She felt faint when he started to kiss her.

"Jeremy...please...I'm too heavy right now."

"No, you're not."

"Oh my god, you're too good to be true," Piper said while he was touching his lips to hers.

"You know I am."

"I love you."

"You're a diamond in the rough."

They held hands while they walked up to her doorstep after school. She knocked and her mom opened the door.

"Hello, Jeremy, Piper," she said and tried to hide her distaste for him. "How are you?"

"Good, you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. What brings you two here?"

"Is Dad here?" Piper asked nervously and bit her lip. "We need to say something."

"Yes. Sam! They want to talk to us!"

Piper's stepfather came downstairs and both her parents sat on the couch. She huddled into Jeremy' side and he held her closer to him.

"I'm pregnant," she confessed.

"I'm gonna be a dad," Jeremy said cockily.

Sam began to stand up with a scary glint in his eye. Patty pushed him back down. "What are you two talking about?"

"I'm pregnant," Piper said again, "with his baby."

"I'm gonna kill you, Jeremy!" Sam yelled. He got up and pushed Patty off him. Piper and Patty screamed as her father kicked Jeremy in the face. "You're fucking dead meat!"

"Stop! Stop, Dad, you're hurting him!"

"I can't believe you let him knock you up! You are a junior in high school, Piper Shirley Halliwell!" Patty shouted.

Sam turned to his daughter. "You won't be seeing him ever again. He's a disgrace and I don't want him in this house anymore."

Piper hugged herself. "Dad, please...Mom..."

"Jeremy, get out of here!" Patty said angrily.

"No, you can't do this...you can't kick him out!" Piper protested. Tears ran down her cheeks. "I was in the wrong. I'm a slut and a whore...you didn't raise me this way, and I'm so sorry...maybe I should be the one to get out."

"Piper, you don't know yourself anymore!" Sam interrupted her.

"We miss you, baby! We need you back!" Patty cried.

She fell to her knees and Jeremy picked her back up again. He carried her out back to his car and they went to his house. She wept while he lay with her on the couch.

"I have to reconnect with my family."

"Hey. You have me. They don't understand us, babe."

"Only because you got me pregnant." Piper sniffled. "Are you all right?" She kissed his bruise on his cheek and ran her finger over the cut on his lip when her stepfather's fist had smashed into her boyfriend's mouth.

"Just a split lip. I'll be fine. You, however, need your rest."

Piper snuggled into him and closed her eyes. She cried herself to sleep.

She hadn't seen Jeremy's violent side until a few weeks later. When they started school again, Jeremy took Piper to her favorite restaurant. They ordered a pizza and a plate of pasta to share. The waiter nodded and smiled at Piper after taking her menu. Out of politeness, she smiled back and turned to Jeremy. He was gritting his teeth and tapping his nails on the table.

"What's wrong, Jeremy?"

"I did not like the way he looked at you," he hissed.

"What way? He was just being friendly. I wouldn't go after him. I have you." Piper looked at her boyfriend, confused.

"He smiled at you. I don't accept that."

Piper swallowed and looked down at the table. "I don't think he meant it as flirting. Just let it go, okay?" She put her hands on his to try to calm him down. "Breathe, your face is going purple."

Jeremy huffed and knocked her hands away. "Piper, you don't understand!" His eyes were burning into hers intensely. "You are mine. Do I have to carve that into your skin to make others believe that we are together forever?"

Piper shook her head. "Jeremy, you're scaring me."

"I'd never hurt you. I just want people to leave our relationship alone. He was staring at you, and I hated it!"

"Girls stare at you all the time, yet you don't see me overreacting about it! You're just handsome-"

Jeremy slammed his hand on the table and Piper jumped slightly. "Do not tell me that I overreacted! I don't want anyone looking at you with a sly grin on their face! I am the only one allowed to stare at you like that. You belong to me."

Piper chewed on her bottom lip, not knowing what to say. She nodded and lowered her eyes when the waiter came back to their table. Jeremy stood up and grabbed their food from the man. "Thank you, sir. I would appreciate it if you didn't set your sights on my girlfriend! I love her, and I don't want anyone to make her leave me, including scum like you!"

"I...I'm sorry, man. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong...but I'm sorry I offended you."

"Apologize to her, not me! Fucking piece of shit," Jeremy grumbled.

"It's fine," Piper said before the waiter opened his mouth. "It's no big deal, really."

"You look at her again, you're dead," Jeremy threatened him.

"Let me get my manager."

"Oh, like your little manager will save you!" They ate their whole meal without any words being exchanged between them.

"Why are you starting drama?" Piper asked. "You'll get us kicked out."

"I won't let anyone disrespect you like that."

"He wasn't-"

"Goddamnit, Piper!" Jeremy thundered. He bolted out of his seat suddenly, and she moved away from him slightly. "What can I do to make you understand? Don't stick up for people who I'm jealous of!" He knocked over a few glasses of water, all over their plates, and then snatched the tablecloth off the table, making everything crash to the floor. By now, everyone was looking at them, and Piper hid her face in shame.

"Stop it, Jeremy, you're embarrassing me," she said, but he wasn't listening. He was in a rage now, and nothing could stop him. The manager walked over to them and restrained him from touching anything else.

"Don't you love me?" he asked, almost in tears.

"Of course I do, but..."

"Then prove it! Tell that man you don't want him giving you looks like he's in love with you! Tell him!"

"I'm sorry," Piper apologized to the manager and the waiter. "My boyfriend's never been like this before...I guess you can't look at me."

"You bet you can't look at her!" Jeremy hollered and punched the waiter in the face. Piper gasped and everyone in the restaurant screamed.

They did indeed get kicked out, but the manager took Piper aside. Jeremy permitted this because the manager was an old woman. He sat in the car while he waited.

"Am I not allowed back here? I didn't freak out. I feel so guilty."

"Don't worry. You can come here anytime you want. Just...your boyfriend can never return again."

"Yeah, once again, I'm sorry for his behavior. I take the blame. It's my favorite place, and I shouldn't have begged for him to take me here."

The older woman put her hand on Piper's shoulder. "My dear, it's not your fault. Can I give you some advice?"

"Hm?"

"I would find a more peaceful boyfriend. You're young, and you've got plenty of time to find a wonderful man that treats you well."

"He loves me, he's just very overprotective. A good night's sleep should relax him some."

"If he yells and beats up someone else for something with so little meaning, he will do the same to you later in your relationship."

"Oh, that was just once...don't worry about me. I'm fine." Piper smiled gently and waved goodbye. She turned around and joined Jeremy in his car. He sped off and played loud rock and roll music.

"I'm sorry," he said flatly when they got back to her house. "I was just...envious."

"It's okay. I understand. Just, please, don't get yourself in trouble anyplace else. You should go for a run to burn off steam."

"I won't," he promised. "I love you, and I feel so bad for embarrassing you."

She spent another night with him in her bed, and he had gotten her flowers to make up for his behavior. She forgave him, just like that.

…

Leo Wyatt was enjoying his first week of school. The homework was a breeze and he already had a few friends, namely Justin and Kyle. There was a cute girl in his cooking class who he was dying to talk to, but he felt like she would brush him off like a bug on her sweater. She had the most innocent-looking brown eyes and she was a brunette with bangs that covered her forehead. Someone like her probably had a boyfriend, and he was right. A guy walked into the class and slung his arm lazily over her shoulder.

"Dude, I wouldn't," Kyle whispered to him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Quit staring at Jeremy Burns' girl! I was friends with her in freshman year and he told me to stay away from her," Justin said.

Leo wanted to ask what her name was, but he decided to wait until after class. Her boyfriend left her side when he went into the bathroom, and she made her way to the lockers. A few girls yelled, "Slut!" at her and pushed her down, resulting in her dropping her books. Her glasses tumbled off her face.

"Stupid skanky whore!" a girl Leo knew as Missy Campbell, shouted. "Everyone knows you're preggo!" The fallen girl tried to pick up her books, but Missy stepped on them.

"Hey, that's enough, leave her alone," Leo muttered. "Don't you have some class to get to?"

"Like I care!" she scoffed. "Hey, Dennis!" She skipped over to a guy and kissed him. Leo bent down and both he and the pretty girl in the pink shirt and jeans picked up her books.

"Thank you," she murmured. "I thought she'd never leave."

"You're welcome. What's your name, by the way?" He handed her glasses back to her and she put them on.

"It's Piper Halliwell." She lifted her hand to tuck her hair behind her ears. She looked a little wary, and it was the first time Leo saw her up close. She was even more beautiful than before. Thousands of emotions showed in her eyes. She smiled at him with her mouth half closed, and he noticed she was wearing braces.

"Leo Wyatt," he introduced himself.

She glanced towards the boys' bathroom. "Um, I've gotta go…my boyfriend wanted me to wait for him right after I got my stuff." She opened her locker quickly and exchanged her Science and Cooking textbooks with her English and Calculus textbooks.

"I'm sorry for distracting you, Piper." He hadn't meant to say her name, but he wanted to. He wanted to hear her name come off his lips. Most of all, he wished she'd say his name, but of course she hadn't known him long enough to do that.

"It's okay." She closed her locker. It was then that Leo noticed bruises on her wrists that extended up her arms a little as her sleeves raised. They were in the shapes of fingerprints. All of a sudden, he didn't know what to do.

"My father could look at those for you if you want. He's a doctor."

Her face turned from soft to hard. "You know what, Leo, mind your own business!" she snapped. She quickly walked away from him.

Leo happened to be his father's assistant at the hospital, and he noticed Piper was in there quite a few times. He was applying a cast to her broken arm with his father's help and Jeremy was sitting in the corner of the room. He didn't appear concerned, and Piper apologized for being so clumsy. Two weeks later, she came in with a bleeding lip and a bruised jaw. She told Leo it was nothing whenever he asked her how she got her injuries.

Leo pressed some ice to Piper's lip after cleaning it with a wet rag. Her breath was warm on his hand and he had the urge to wrap her in a long hug and comfort her. This couldn't happen, though, because she had a boyfriend. Besides, she was his classmate. They only sat across the room from each other.

"You can't lie to me this time, Piper. How did this happen? First the bruises in the shapes of handprints, then the broken arm, damn it, you were in a wheelchair for a month and a half before I even met you-oh it was all over the news...and now, your split lip! What's next, a black eye? Everyone has told me to watch out for your boyfriend for a good reason! Jeremy is a dangerous man, isn't he?"

"Leo, it was a car accident! I've really gotta go. Your dad released me."

"No." He went to tenderly place his hands around her wrists, but she flinched. A flash of fear showed in her wide brown eyes, and he pulled away from her instantly. "Hey, I'm sorry, I wasn't gonna hurt you. I just need you to be honest with me."

"It's okay. I don't know why I..." She sighed. "Why do you care?" Pain was evident in her tone.

"I've known you for weeks and you keep ending up here at various times, so I know this was no fucking car accident!" She jumped as his voice got louder. "Sorry," he apologized again.

"It was...we did get in one...he had a mild concussion, and I needed a wheelchair. We were...kissing...and not looking at the road while we drove home from our date. He isn't a really good driver, but you can't hate him for that..."

"So, he decides to distract himself and threaten your life?"

"It wasn't on purpose," she said softly. "He apologizes every time, and I do forgive him. He's getting better though...anger management classes are really working for him. I'm okay. Really. He loves me, I know he does." She smiled, but it wasn't genuine.

Piper was on the brink of tears, Leo could sense it.

"Come on," a male voice said sharply. Jeremy grabbed Piper's hand. "Let's bust outta here."

Leo wanted to call the cops, but he knew he wouldn't have any evidence that Jeremy abused Piper.

Months passed, and things got awkward between them. Leo enlisted in the army after he graduated high school, and Piper was pregnant but she lost her baby. It became obvious that she was never going to leave her boyfriend, but every day, Leo prayed that she would build up the strength to get away from Jeremy and run into his arms.

**Thank you for your kind thoughts about this new story: CharmedAddict11, carlychristina8, Emma, tibetan mastiff, and Aviva426! Reviews are appreciated! **

**As you can see, this is an AU fic with no magic and it's set in 2013 (with the exception of this chapter). It's also different from my other story Keep Me Safe, and you'll see why in the next chapter! Those of you who read this story and love it, you'll love Keep Me Safe, too, so check that out if you want!**

** I decided to post this today in honor of Holly Marie Combs' birthday :D**


	3. Fresh Start

**Thank you to CharmedAddict11 for beta'ing!**

Eight years after meeting Piper, Leo was twenty-five and married to a woman named Lillian. She had been raped and then she was pregnant, but she didn't have the energy to take care of herself. She bottled her pain inside and laughed a lot, but Leo knew it was fake. He had told her about Piper before, and she wanted to meet her. By the time Lillian was in labor, she looked extremely sick and too frail to push out her baby. Leo knew she wasn't going to make it, but he didn't want to give up hope. He wheeled her to the maternity ward and ordered the doctors to help her. She would need a C section, she was so weak. After the doctors pulled the baby out of her, she was a little drugged from the anesthesia. Leo assisted the doctors with stitching her up and he looked at his wife with tears in his eyes.

"Leo," she said in a raspy whisper. "I...I want you...to promise me...something..."

"Sure, anything, Lil," he said and then kissed her hands that he was holding.

"Take care of our son...name him...Tyler...and find that girl...heal her...love her...like you loved...me..."

Leo squeezed Lillian's hands. "I will. I love you."

"Good...bye...my...angel..." she said very quietly. Leo put his hands over her eyes and shut them while trembling with sobs.

He didn't love her enough, he thought. He also failed in protecting Piper. Couldn't he just save at least somebody?

A nurse handed him the newborn baby. The boy wasn't even his, but Leo would love him all the same. He cuddled Tyler to his chest while crying on the seat next to Lillian.

"Hey, little man. I'm your daddy. Your mommy's up in heaven."

Tyler batted Leo's tie.

"Aw, buddy...I guess it's time to go home now. Let's get moving." He kissed the top of Tyler's head. "You and me against the world, sport."

…

Piper finally had a baby girl when she was nineteen and she learned to protect her belly from Jeremy's blows. When Piper and Jeremy got married eight years after having their first daughter, they moved to New York City. Jeremy drowned Patty in a lake and forced Piper and their little girl to watch. They had a second daughter when their oldest was eleven. Piper was trapped in her abusive marriage for a total of eight years, but she was in a loveless relationship since she was sixteen. Now thirty-five and growing sick and tired of the beatings and the things her children had to witness, she had plenty of time to come up with a foolproof plan to escape. She never tried before since he'd get suspicious.

"Piper, I want to you make sure that the steaks are medium rare for my friends and I, and remember to vacuum the floors again. I'm not having my house be a complete pigsty!"

"Yes, Jeremy," Piper replied.

"Now, I have something to give you before I leave." Jeremy presented Piper with a box. She sighed as he slipped a gold bracelet around her wrist. He kissed the bruise. "I'm so sorry."

It was the same routine. She knew it inside and out. He'd give her a wound, he'd apologize, she'd forgive him, then she would give him a new excuse to take his anger out on her.

"It's okay. You're stressed out from your job, that's all. I understand." Piper rubbed his shoulders gently.

"You'd do anything for me, huh?" Jeremy lifted her hair from her neck and gave her a hickey. She moaned like he wanted her to and promised herself that if he ever hit her again, today would be the last day of it.

"Mm-hm." She shivered when she felt his breath behind her. His hands slipped up her shirt and he grabbed her breasts roughly. She bit her lip and tried not to wince.

"You have such a sexy body."

"Thank you."

He pressed her to the counter and gestured to the lump in his pants. She knew what she had to do. She knelt down and unzipped his pants carefully. She pulled out his erection and closed her mouth over it. He gagged her and then released inside her mouth. Once she stood up and he adjusted his pants, he started bellowing in her face.

"You can't fucking do anything right, you whore! Woman, I shouldn't have to tell you what to do! You should know what I expect from you!" He pushed her into a chair and she fell backwards. She reached around the floor for something, anything, to defend herself with, but she had nothing. He just kept kicking her. She didn't scream, didn't cry, she knew if she did anything but act natural, he'd be suspicious.

He left her and the door slammed shut.

It was over. She was finished being abused, finished with the kids having to hear their dad hurt their mom daily, and finished feeling worthless. The girls came downstairs cautiously.

"He hit you again, didn't he, Mom?" her oldest asked in a grave tone.

Piper sat up slowly and stared at her daughters. Her youngest walked over to her. "Mama, I'll kiss your owies." Phoebe kissed Piper's cheeks and hugged her.

"Pack your things, babies," she ordered in a soft, wavering voice. "We're getting out of here before he returns. I've had enough." Piper slowly got up and held Phoebe. Her eldest daughter, Prue, went up ahead of them and the three of them began to gather their stuff. They put their belongings into three duffel bags and Piper called a cab to pick them up. She rushed the driver and looked around worriedly for any sign of Jeremy. They had leftover spaghetti for on the road, and a cab picked them up five minutes before Jeremy came back. When his car passed them, all three of them ducked their heads. It was a close call.

"Where to?" the driver asked her.

"The airport."

"Where are we going?" Prue wanted to know.

Piper thought up a great idea. She and her best friend Sheila lived someplace far away when she was younger, and she wanted to find her again. She wanted to rekindle their friendship and pick up where they left off. She wanted to cry in Sheila's arms and apologize and tell her she was right, she told Piper so. There was a one in a million chance she would ever see Sheila again, but it couldn't hurt to try.

"California," she said quietly. "We're going to San Francisco, California."

"Where's that?" Phoebe asked and crinkled her brow cutely.

"It's on the other side of the country. It's seven here in New York, but it's four over there."

"How long would it take us to get there?" Prue wondered aloud. The cab parked at the curb of the John F. Kennedy International Airport. Piper shushed her girls as they got their things out of the cab and the trunk. She didn't want to give out any more information, as the driver might be friends with Jeremy. Everyone was friends with Jeremy.

"About six hours," Piper replied a while later. "I'll rent an apartment, get a job, and then we can start our new and better lives."

"What if Daddy comes back?" Phoebe worried. "We're all gone."

"He'll know we're missing. The house is a mess, Mom. God knows if you left the water running while doing the dishes," Prue added.

"Girls, we can't think about him right now. The most important thing is getting out of here as fast as possible before his mind even registers that we've ran away." Piper handed their passports to the agent, gave him their bags, and headed towards their gate. It was only then that she realized her hands were shaking. She had to keep her feet moving so she wouldn't fall to the floor.

"Mom...your ring," Prue reminded her before they sat down at their gate.

"Thank you, baby." Piper twisted the silver band off her finger and looked at it scornfully. "I'll throw this awful piece of trash right in the garbage." She tossed it in the basket without a second glance, and it was like being let out of a prison cell. She sold her expensive bracelet and their cell phones from him to get household items for their apartment. She had stolen Jeremy's money to save for a bond to rent the apartment in North Beach.

They talked about random things to get their minds off Jeremy.

"So, I really want a black SUV," Prue said with a small chuckle.

"That would be nice for all of us to have," Piper commented. "We'll just have to learn to drive first."

"Not me. I'm four and too little for a car. I like pink, not black," Phoebe piped up. She took her Cinderella doll out of her backpack and brushed her hair. "When I grow up, I'm gonna be a princess like my dolly! I'm gonna dress in all yellow."

Piper smiled. "You'll be a sweet little princess."

"I want to be a photographer when I'm older," Prue said thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll fall in love with a celebrity."

"I thought you hated men," Piper said.

"Ew! Boys have cooties!" Phoebe held her nose.

That made Prue and Piper laugh.

"Halliwell, party of three," the announcer said, and they boarded the airplane. A few minutes later, they were off, with Phoebe in between Piper and Prue. They all went to sleep, and when they woke up, they were in San Francisco, California.

Piper carried a tired Phoebe off the flight and Prue helped her get their suitcases. They took a cab to a cheap studio apartment. It was a fixer-upper, and Piper had no problem renovating it, as she was a master at decorating houses. Apartments were no different. They had their place, and they were happy.

Piper had no idea how she had succeeded so well in enrolling her daughters in school, a decent public school, at that. The uniforms looked hideous, but at least they wouldn't have to worry about shopping for new clothes all that much. She felt so bad, but that was all she could do. She could barely afford their outfits and everything else like photocopying and school IDs, but she did it.

The store owner stared at her in her gray sweater and dull pink skirt. Her hair was matted from the flight, and she had yet to brush it. She put all of her items in a shopping cart and wheeled it to the cash register. She took out her credit card and he tried to scan it, but it was denied.

"You should have brought cash with you," he said as she sifted through her purse.

"I spent it all on the apartment," she said in a low voice so he couldn't hear her. She looked at him suggestively. "I could do something for you if you do me a favor in return."

"What is that?"

"Come a little closer," she whispered and curled her index finger toward herself. She licked her own lips and started to unbutton her sweater. It revealed a white camisole, and he came around the register. "You know, if you let me get this stuff for free, I could totally suck you off."

The owner's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, ma'am...I can't let you do this..."

"Yet your boner disagrees with you," Piper said and pinched the tent in his pants.

"Fuck..."

"Yeah, buddy, you're playing my game now."

"You're lucky this is a small shop, or I would be arrested," he groaned. She pulled his pants down and tried not to gag when she swallowed his seed. She flicked her tongue in and out for a while until he finished jacking off.

After she took everything with her, she rinsed out her mouth. Prue shifted Phoebe on her hip and took out a five dollar bill. "For the bus back to our place."

"Got it."

"Ew, Mom, I cannot believe you just-"

"My credit card didn't work."

The bus pulled up in front of them and they stepped onto it. Piper dropped the five dollars into the driver's hand and then went to the very back. It was cozy in the back, and the girls followed her.

They enjoyed looking at the beautiful sights as the bus traveled through the areas in San Francisco. Twinkling lights around the streets signaled that it was dark and time for bed. It was the night before school started, and Piper was going to set out to find a job, hopefully as a restaurant manager, like she was before, or a chef like she always dreamed of being. Her first priority, though, was to keep the kids in school without anyone finding out they were going to be on welfare.

The bus stopped at their apartment and they got off. The girls were silent while they walked to the apartment with bags in hand. Piper opened it and let her daughters inside. They sat on the worn out couch they bought at a garage sale. She held up a single cellphone. "This is for us to share but only in case of emergencies."

"What if I make friends and I want to call them for a homework assignment explanation?" Prue asked.

"That counts as an emergency. Anything else like talking can be done when you're in school."

"Got it."

Piper laid out their outfits for school the next morning. She noticed their blank looks. "What's up, girls?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"What if they don't like me?" Phoebe blurted out.

"Oh, I'm sure they will!" Prue assured her. "My question was, what are you gonna do when we're in school?"

"I'll look for job openings in the area. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You girls should get yourselves cleaned up from the flight. I even bought some lotion and soap so we can make our faces glow. That's gonna be after the shower, though. Who's first?"

"Me!" Phoebe shouted.

"No! You'll use up all the hot water!" Prue cried and ran to catch her baby sister. They crashed into each other and Prue accidentally knocked Phoebe over, which made the little girl cry.

Piper stopped opening the miniature refrigerator that she had Domino's Pizza that went cold, and water, stored in. She rushed to Phoebe's side and gave Prue a reproving look.

"Be careful of your sister!"

"Sorry, Mom."

"Mama, it hurts!"

"Where, baby?"

Phoebe pointed to her knee and Piper kissed the spot. "All better?"

"Yep!"

The shower water turned on. "Come on, Phoebe, we can share."

Piper smiled and handed Phoebe to Prue. "Thank you, darling."

"You're welcome."

"This water can't decide between being a desert and snow!" Prue complained and Phoebe screeched every few seconds.

"Take a fast shower," Piper advised them. After just a day of this, her head was pounding. She didn't like the living conditions either, but it was better than being around _him_. She took out a pizza and heated it up. When their shower sounded like it was over, she brought out two pairs of pajamas from the cart and tossed them into the bathroom.

"Don't look at me!" Prue said sharply.

Piper rolled her eyes. "I can't even see you. Just dry yourself and your sister and then get jammied up. Pizza will be ready soon."

"Yay, pizza!" Phoebe said excitedly.

"Microwaved dinners aren't that bad," Prue agreed.

Piper didn't want to say it, but she was getting frustrated with the microwave. It kept stopping every thirty seconds, no matter how high she set it. She had to buy it for two dollars at a thrift shop. It took her thirty minutes just to make a supposedly simple meal for three.

Her face softened when she saw her children all ready and freshly showered. "I'll take a shower when you girls are in bed."

"Cool. Looks good, Mom." Prue smiled broadly. She helped Piper cut the pizza into three equal parts. They sat at the small table and made sure not to move. The creaking of the floors and the table made them very cautious.

Phoebe took a few bites of her pizza. "Yummy!"

"I'm glad you like it, girls."

After dinner, Piper took the cushions off the pull-out couch and set up the bed. It was a rather large couch, so it would fit all three of them, and then some. Phoebe tried to jump on the bed, but was disappointed that the springs weren't bouncy. She plopped down and let out a loud cry of pain.

Prue bit her lip. "Well, now you know not to do that again."

"I guess that's why they gave away such an expensive couch," Piper commented. "I hope it's more comfortable than the floor."

"Me too." Prue crawled up on the bed and curled up on one side of it. She laid her head down on a small, lumpy pillow and covered herself up with the two thin sheets and the thick comforter. "It is, a little...we might have neck kinks in the morning. Let's roll over from time to time."

"Okay," Phoebe said agreeably. "Night, Mama!"

"Good night, sweetie pies." Piper embraced both of them and gave them kisses. The scene before her made her want to cry. Prue was holding Phoebe as they slept, and Piper snuggled next to them. She wrapped her arms around the both of them and felt Prue squeeze her hands.

Their sleep was peaceful, despite the winds howling outside and the bed being stiff. They only woke up once in the middle of the night, because Phoebe had a nightmare. Then, Piper silently cried to herself as she thought of _him_ pulling her up by her hair and tossing her across the room for breaking a dish because he scared her. Her mind traveled to the first time she was really afraid of him.

_Piper panted heavily and kept her eyes on him. He liked her watching him._

_Jeremy thrusted harder and faster into her. "I'm gonna fuck you until lunch!"_

_Piper whimpered and bit her lip so she wouldn't shriek. "Oh."_

_He came inside of her again and groaned. "That feels so fucking good! You're so tasty!"_

_Piper wondered to herself if it was almost lunchtime yet. She hoped her orgasm sounded real._

_She stayed on the floor as he put his clothes back on. When he was gone, she hurried to get herself dressed again. She ran to the girls' bathroom, sobbing all the way, and hid there._

_Piper rushed back to the supply closet. She peeled off some of her clothes and almost screamed when she was grabbed from behind._

_"Piper, shhh, it's just me!"_

_He kept her from collapsing on the floor. "We still have a few more hours...and I found out that I failed my Chemistry test." He flexed and relaxed his muscles. "I'm so disappointed in myself..."_

_Piper massaged him gently and pressed a kiss to his chest. "You'll do better next time. I believe in you."_

_Jeremy spun around angrily and knocked her to the ground with his fist. "It would have been better if you helped me, you bitch!" It was numb where he hit her, but she guessed a bruise would form there. Jeremy gritted his teeth and she shielded herself._

_He wrapped his hands around her neck. She started gagging._

_"Let me go..."_

_"I can't let you go! You belong to me! You're mine!"_

_He was choking her now; she couldn't speak. He finally regained his sanity and his wild expression went back to normal. His hands left her neck and she gasped deeply._

_"Fuck, babe, I'm sorry..." She tucked her legs beneath her and held herself for protection._

_"I know...you didn't mean it. You've had a rough time in school. I don't blame you. Junior year is hard." She willed herself not to cry. He helped her up and they went outside for lunch._

_Piper sat down and tried not to look pained. "Did you have fun?" Jeremy whispered in her ear. He pulled her closer to him. The stinging sensation was still there, all over her mouth. She was afraid to see the damage, because she'd coughed up blood into a napkin._

_"Yes I did," Piper responded. It hurt to talk._

_ The next day, it happened all over again. Jeremy's foot collided into her side when she didn't have a good enough orgasm._

She held her girls closer to her and cried silent tears.

The next morning, they woke up without the sun's bright rays shining on them. Piper was used to getting up at the crack of dawn, since _he_ made her get up that early every single morning, to make him breakfast and lunch before work. She stretched and yawned. It was nice not having a heavy hand on her, for once.

"Good morning, babies," she half sang. "Wake up, my little ones..."

"Mom..." Prue said groggily.

"It's too dark!" Phoebe added.

"You guys have to get ready for school, and I have to make our breakfast and your lunches...you guys can have five dollars each for lunch."

They rubbed their eyes open. Piper gave them their clothes and when they got dressed, they ate cereal, strawberries, and bananas for breakfast. She studied the kindergarten and high school handbooks since she finally had time to look at it.

Prue brushed her hair out after she ate, and Piper combed Phoebe's hair after Prue was done with the brush. She made Prue a French braid and since Phoebe's hair was too short to be in anything, she just styled it with small pieces of hair sticking out everywhere. She smoothed down the top with a black headband.

At ten to eight, the girls put their backpacks on and walked out the door with Piper. They braved the cold and boarded their first bus at seven-fifty-seven in the morning. Their second bus picked them up at eight-twelve. Classes started at eight-forty for Phoebe and nine for Prue. They were ten minutes early.

"Bye, girls, I love you! Have a great first day of school," Piper said after showering them with hugs and kisses. She waved them off. They stepped off the bus, and Piper watched them through the glass window. She leaned her cheek against it and closed her eyes.

...

Prue and Phoebe walked into school together, hand in hand.

"It's so big," Phoebe commented in a little voice.

A bell rang and Prue knelt down to Phoebe's height. She combed her short brown hair with her fingers. "I know, Pheebs, but don't be scared. We're all right here. Mom will make sure of that. I'll take you to your class. Now, who's your teacher?"

Phoebe handed Prue a slip of paper. "I can't read, how would I know?"

"You're right. Okay, I will take you to Mrs. Morris' room in…room seven. I am right across the campus in room ten. There's a meeting spot with a few chairs if you need anything."

Phoebe nodded mutely and shyly hid behind Prue's legs as her big sister led her to her classroom.

Prue timidly knocked on the closed door. It opened, and a short woman with cropped black hair was standing before them.

"Hello, my name is Prue…and this is my sister, Phoebe Halliwell. She's joining your class today. Bye, Phoebe." Prue kissed the top of Phoebe's head lovingly.

"Love you, Prue!"

"I love you too!"

"Thank you, dear. Hi, Miss Phoebe, how are you today?" The woman delicately took Phoebe's small hand and walked her to the circle of children. "We're just beginning to sing the good morning song. Boys and girls, say hello to Phoebe."

Prue left the room and smiled to herself. After killing ten minutes at the library, she walked with confidence to her own classroom at promptly eight-fifty, and twisted the door handle. She slipped inside and sat in one of the empty seats. The whole room went quiet when they noticed her entrance. She looked around nervously.

_Everyone just seemed so much…better off than she was._ She tucked some black hair behind her ears. The young women and men were still staring at her, and she gave some of them the evil eye.

"This is Prue Halliwell," the teacher announced. "I'm Paige Mitchell. Welcome to our class, Prue."

Prue nodded. "Hey."

A brown haired girl with glasses turned to her and offered a hand for her to shake. "I'm Kat Mitchell. It's very nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you're just being friendly to me because the teacher's your mom."

"No, I'm being kind because I try to see the good in everyone," Kat said simply. "I can see that you're a cool girl."

"Hm. Thanks." The girls shook hands.

A girl on Prue's other side smiled at them. "Hey, I'm Tanya Trudeau. I think we should be the three musketeers or something, hey?"

"Why am I so popular all of a sudden?" Prue asked.

"You're new. Everyone likes fresh meat," a girl behind them piped up.

"That's Beth Whittlesey…the gossip queen," Tanya reported to Prue.

"All right ladies, enough talking," Ms. Mitchell gently reprimanded them. She passed out a book called _Safe Haven_ to each of the students. "We're going to read this book aloud."

Apparently, Ms. Mitchell was teaching all the subjects. Prue's favorite was English, so far, since she liked the book, and Italian, since speaking it made her feel exotic.

When lunchtime finally rolled around, Prue got out of her classroom and got two five dollar lunches for herself and Phoebe from grab-and-go cafeteria. The bell rang for her lunch, and she met up with Phoebe at half past one. She walked carefully around the kindergarteners, since she didn't want to trip or hurt anyone. She smiled and waved when she saw Phoebe sitting with another girl and boy.

"Prue!" Phoebe yelled and made a beeline for her big sister. Prue put the tray down on a table and caught Phoebe. She spun her around.

"Are you okay? I brought lunch for you."

"Yay!"

Prue guided Phoebe back to the little children. "Hey, I'm Phoebe's big sister, Prue."

"Hi, I'm Ramona!"

"I'm Coop!"

"We're all gonna be best friends!" Phoebe exclaimed and put her arms around their shoulders.

"That's cool for you guys. I'll see you later, Pheebs!" Prue grinned and went back to her own table with her tray. Tanya, Kat, Beth, and a bunch of other girls and a few boys were sitting. She sat down between Tanya and Kat.

"So, this is Claire Pryce and Kat's twin sister Tamora." Beth introduced the girls to Prue. "Saving best for last-the principal's daughter, Hannah Webster. Her father is also the captain of the police force." Beth pointed to each girl as she said her name. "As for the boys, Tanya's brother Andy, the twin's brother Henry Junior, Darryl Junior Morris, and Hannah's boyfriend Rex Buckland."

"Hey, Prue," Claire and Tamora said together. They waved at her.

The guys gave her head-nods. Rex appeared as though he was full of himself and Darryl Junior and Henry Junior were awfully quiet. Andy was the only one to shake hands with her. At least nobody was gawking at her like a piece of meat. It didn't mean she wanted a boyfriend anytime soon, though.

"It's so lovely to meet you," Hannah said haughtily. She cut up her homemade sandwich perfectly with her nice little manicured nails and the diamond bracelet sparkled on her wrist, and Prue couldn't stop herself from feeling just a little bit envious.

"What's up, guys?" She meant it as a statement, not a question. She chugged her milk and shoved a piece of pasta in her mouth. It was warm, and she was enjoying her food. Hannah, Claire, and Beth looked on with disgust, while the others continued eating. Prue smirked to herself. "Hey, this is good, right?"

"You've got a little..." Tanya handed her a napkin. "Sauce, on your chin."

"Oh," Prue said nonchalantly and wiped her face. "Thanks."

"So, like, I've got a girls night planned and we're all going in my new sports car," Hannah bragged.

"Good, save it for someone who cares," Prue muttered, and the group chuckled, except Hannah, Rex, Claire, and Beth. She whispered in Kat's ear, "Did I just bust up their egos?"

"I think you did, but that's okay. They need that sometimes."

"Hey, you're really sassy," Andy pointed out.

"I just speak the truth for those who can't say it themselves."

"Aren't you afraid of getting in trouble?" Tamora asked.

"Not really."

"Where did you come from?" Tanya wanted to know.

"I came from New York with my mom and baby sister."

"How interesting!" Beth squealed. "What about your dad?"

"He died before we were born," Prue lied. _He was better off dead, anyway._

"Oh, I see. That's too bad."

"Eh, I didn't really know him, so..."

"You should totally check out all the shops here."

"Yeah, I think I will..."

"Why'd you come here?" Rex pressed.

"I can't say. It's personal. We just wanted a new start, like Katie in that book we're reading," Prue said coldly.

Kat must have sensed that Prue was feeling uncomfortable, so she changed the subject. "Hey, I'm not the only one with a mom who works here as a teacher... Darryl Junior's mom is a kindergarten teacher."

"Oh, your mom has my sister!" Prue realized. "Yeah, she's nice."

"What job does your mom have?" Kat asked her.

"She's still looking for one. We just moved here...but she used to be a restaurant manager."

Her classmates laughed and chattered. Prue felt uneasy around the snooty girls and the couple making out, but she found comfort in talking to the others, so she did.

"Is your brother always this loud?" she asked Tanya. To be honest, his voice scared her. He was also towering over everyone and casting a shadow on the table.

"Yeah, he's crazy and fun."

"I see."

At the end of lunch, the girls went to an auditorium for gym class.

"Okay, guys, we will be starting tomorrow with dance lessons, so suit up!" The girls' attention was focused on the director of the physical education program. His name was Mike Morris, and Darryl told Prue that was his big brother.

"Wow, you're like, related to everyone at this school."

"We'll all go to the library tomorrow to get the textbooks if you've paid the resource hire scheme. If not, you better get onto it, it's only one hundred and seventy dollars."

"Why does everything have to cost fucking money?" Prue mumbled to herself lowly. She could only think of one way to get the money, and she hated that she had to think that way.

"Class dismissed!"

The group of high schoolers left the gym.

...

After hours of searching for a place to work or eat, Piper took the bus to the girls' school at two-forty-two in the afternoon and made it by two-fifty-four. She had a small lunch on the bus. It was a two dollar cheeseburger and a dollar small fries from Burger King. She wanted a job at a fancy restaurant she'd seen on the way to their school, but she didn't think they'd hire her. She was too new, and it was the end of the year.

"Miss, are you getting off?" the bus driver asked her. "No eating on the bus!" He honked his horn a few times to get her attention.

She wiped her greasy, sticky fingers on a napkin, and headed off. She threw her lunch away in the garbage and tried to look in the bus' side mirror, but it sped off. She knew she had crumbs on her face, so she brushed them off.

She tried to stay out of everyone's way as she inched closer to the school. It wasn't until a pixie bumped into her, that she was jolted out of her unhappy state. A grin broke out across her face and she hugged Phoebe close to her.

"I had fun at school," Phoebe said excitedly.

"You did? That's wonderful!"

The little girl nodded. "Yeah, Mrs. Morris, she's our teacher, she read us an awesome story, and she taught us our ABC's...I can say them all!"

Piper smiled. "Ready, set, go!"

Phoebe recited the alphabet. "That was easy. I can even spell my own name. P-H-O-E-B-E! And then, Prue got me some lunch. It was super, super delicious. I got two new friends today. Can they sleep over at our apartment?"

"It's too shabby, I'm afraid," Piper said guiltily.

"Aw..."

"You can go to their house anytime, though, if you want."

"Yay! Wait, Mama, I don't want to sleep without you or Prue. I'm afraid of the dark." Phoebe hugged Piper around the waist and buried her face into her skirt. Piper picked her up and they sat down far away from the school to wait for Prue.

"Don't worry, sweetie." Piper was about to start crying again. _Because of her, her little girl couldn't have friends and be alone with other families overnight like normal kids. She could only hope Prue wasn't too lonely without her or Phoebe._ "Mama's always here."

"Can we go to the park, Mama? My friends said that Central Park is lots of fun! Prue's class ends a long time from now!"

"Of course, baby," Piper said with a nod and took Phoebe to the nearby park. She pushed her on the swings and when Phoebe was pumping her legs and swinging on her own, Piper sat on the swing next to her daughter. Pretty soon, they were both laughing and swinging together.

An hour and forty-five minutes later, the bell rang to signal the end of Prue's day. Piper and Phoebe practically ran to the school to meet her out front. Prue gave Piper a quick hug, and the three of them got on the next bus that would get them home at twenty minutes after five, and they hid in the back.

"School is great, but we have to pay one-hundred and seventy dollars for textbooks," Prue said begrudgingly.

"That's such a rip-off," Piper said sadly. "Luckily, I got everything but textbooks. How would we get them? I could barely afford to eat at Burger King, and I look too ugly to apply for a job."

"You'd have to go back to that thrift shop where you got our stuff for the apartment. Maybe some rich or middle class woman would donate her clothes and that thrift shop would sell it for really cheap." Prue responded. "Mom, you don't look ugly."

"Mama, you're pretty!" Phoebe chirped.

"Well, thank you. You girls are my world, you know that?" Piper kissed them and they gathered close together for the whole ride home.

Every night, she'd have a recurring nightmare, but she was always reminded of the boy who was sweet to her, Leo Wyatt, and how Jeremy would always accuse her of spilling all their secrets to him. She dreamed of a better life with Leo, but Jeremy consumed her brain and she couldn't handle it.

_"What did you tell him, bitch?" Jeremy roared at Piper as soon as they were in his car._

_"N-nothing," she stammered._

_"Nothing, right…" he sneered._

_She had a miscarriage when he kicked her in her belly one too many times._

She woke up with a shuddering gasp and covered her mouth. Her heart pounded rapidly. She hugged her knees to her chest and rubbed her stomach. That child she lost would be remembered forever.

"Mom, are you okay?" Prue was concerned.

"Just a nightmare..."

"Mama, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked worriedly.

"It's nothing, baby. Go back to sleep."

"Night night, love you."

Her sweet little voice broke Piper's heart. "I love you too."

It had only been a week since they sought comfort in San Francisco. Piper wanted to make the girls something special for breakfast every day that it wasn't a school day.

"Alright, I will make either eggs or chocolate chip banana pancakes. Which do you guys prefer?"

"Chocolate chip banana pancakes!" Prue exclaimed.

"Yummy pancakes!" Phoebe shouted excitedly.

"Well, yummy chocolate chip banana pancakes it is," Piper announced with a smile. "Why don't you girls help me?"

"Yeah!" Phoebe cheered. She and Prue practically ran to the cabinets to collect the ingredients and mixing bowl. When the batter was finished, the three of them each took turns pouring it into the pan.

"I know some girls like whipped cream and strawberries on their pancakes," Piper murmured. "That's why I bought them at Rainbow Grocery yesterday. Grocery shopping has become somewhat of a habit for me."

"Oooh!" Phoebe widened her eyes and rubbed her hands together.

"Thanks, Mom!" Prue said.

Piper cut the strawberries and distributed them on top of the pancakes, drizzled syrup on them, and last but not least, she sprayed whipped cream on the concoction.

Breakfast was as delicious as Piper promised and the girls thought it would be. It wasn't until she burned lunch when she started feeling down on herself. Luckily, Prue was an excellent helper.

"Mom, can I make apple pie for dessert this afternoon?" Prue asked.

"You certainly can. I don't want to cook after this disaster. Jeremy was right, I'm not a good cook and I never will be."

"That's not true! You made a mistake, so what, everyone does. Even chefs in the most expensive restaurants make mistakes. It's only human."

"Yeah, well, I just got punished for my mistake. Look at this horrible red mark."

"I can barely see it, and I'm squinting. Keep that covered with ice!"

"Yes, Mom," Piper muttered and rolled her eyes with a scowl on her face. How many more times could she prove to her children that she was a horrible mother? She found it amazing that they didn't give up on her like she had on herself.

Prue made apple pie two hours before she was ready to go out with the girls. She took it out of the oven and served everyone.

"Thank you, Prue!" Phoebe squealed and went to take a bite, but Piper stopped her.

"Be careful, baby, it's hot. Blow on it, like this." Piper gently blew on her slice and Phoebe copied her. Prue shook the can of whipped cream and put some on the slices.

_How did Piper deserve children like Phoebe and Prue? She remembered that Prue would always try to keep the peace in the household and she would even get in between her parents. Even when Jeremy was spewing angry words and delivering blow after blow, Prue braved it all and tried her best to keep Piper out of harm's way. Phoebe would always yell in her babyish voice, "Don't hurt Mommy!" in her hiding place at the top of the staircase and then later promise Piper she would be good so the fighting would stop. Prue bought Phoebe a doll to hold and cuddle whenever scary things happened, she changed Phoebe as a baby most of the time, she brushed her hair, helped her get dressed, gave her a bath, and soothed her to sleep at promptly eight each night without fail. How Prue got Phoebe to sleep with all the noise in the background was one mystery Piper never solved. All she knew was that Prue was a better parent than she ever was. Prue would never stay with a violent man, even if she had kids. Her daughters were strong unlike her, and sometimes, she wished she wasn't even born. It would solve everyone's problems._

"I'm sorry," she suddenly blurted out.

"Why? You didn't do anything bad, Mama."

"Yes, I did. I didn't protect you like a real mom would."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Prue said with a sigh and massaged Piper's shoulders. "You tried leaving, but he would always find us. We're far away from him now. I love you, Mom." She kissed Piper's cheek and Phoebe hugged the both of them.

_They just couldn't see it, could they? Apparently not._

_..._

"Mom..." Prue started. She sat down next to Piper on the couch and played with her hands in her lap, as she always did when she was nervous. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see her mother's reaction to the upcoming news.

"Yes, darling?"

"So, um...we're reading this novel in school."

"Uh huh?"

"It's called Safe Haven. It's about a young woman who runs away from her abusive husband. She finds love with a guy who lost his wife to cancer. The guy has kids, but she doesn't." Prue sat up straighter and dared a look at Piper's face. It was blank. Finally, after a minute, Piper spoke.

"How do you like the book?"

"I feel awkward about it, but still, I'm enjoying it."

"Why do they do that?"

"Why does who do what, Mom?"

"The school. What are they trying to teach you kids? A shitty life can get better? That just gets people's hopes up."

"Well, we did the running away part. Who knows what's next?"

"Life isn't a fairy tale, Prue. Do you see Prince Charming anywhere, because I sure as hell don't. Even if my soul mate was out there somewhere, he wouldn't want me. They're all either-"

"Taken, gay, or dead," Prue finished for her. "I know. We are doomed in the men department. Actually, there's this guy at my school who isn't any one of those, except maybe taken, but we're barely friends. We basically only talk if his sister is the icebreaker. I've made some friends at school, their names are Tanya, Kat, and Tamora."

"Well, good! Who needs a boyfriend when you have a bunch of girls to hang out with?"

"Not me," Prue said. "Hey, a bunch of them were going to the Westfield Mall and having dinner there tonight and they invited me to come. Can I go?"

"If one of them has a car that they can pick you up in at a good meeting place, then yes, you can go." Piper took a ten dollar bill out of her pocket and handed it to Prue.

"Thanks, Mom! You're the best!" Prue hugged Piper. "It'll be so fun! Tanya said she can get me right at the train station so that's close by."

"Are you sure you want to go, baby?"

"I'm positive. You and Phoebe have the apartment to yourself."

"Luckily, it's my turn to sing Phoebe a bedtime lullaby. You know how she gets when there's changes."

"Yeah. Not good."

"Mommy! Mama, look, it's my art project! I drew me and my friends." Phoebe ran to Prue and Piper and thrust a piece of paper in between their laps. Messily drawn black stick figures with different colored triangles for dresses and skinny brown, red, and black lines for hair covered the page. "That's me, Charlene, Ramona, and Maggie. I have the brown hair and a pink dress, see? And then Ramona has brown hair like me, but she has a yellow dress. Maggie has red hair and a green dress. Charlene has blonde hair and a purple dress. I also drew a blue sky and a yellow sun and green grass. Also, there's a big white cloud."

Piper beamed. "Nice job, sweetheart!"

Prue smiled. "I love it."

"Thank you. It's for me, but you guys can share it. We're learning how to share in school and I have to share with you because it's not nice if I don't. We're learning about colors too. My favorite is pink." Phoebe grinned adorably and spun around.

"Mine is purple," Piper said.

"I like red the best," Prue chimed in. _All this talk about colors was making her imagination soar as it always did. She saw the three of them extending their hands out in front of them with a colored mist shooting out of their palms. Phoebe had pink, Prue had red, and Piper had purple. The colors mixed together in the air and a brilliant white light shined above them all._

"Prue!" Piper waved her hand in front of her daughter's face. "You just zoned out there for a minute."

"Oh yeah, sorry. Let me get to my, uh, homework. I've got Italian nouns and verbs to study." She chuckled nervously and sifted through her book bag. "Quiz on Monday, what fun."

"Alright, we'll leave you alone and then I'll be making chicken with mashed potatoes for lunch, okay?"

"Sure, okay."

...

Piper noticed that Prue spaced out quite a bit during the time they lived with Jeremy. She understood that Prue might have been daydreaming to escape their harsh reality, but what exactly did she think about? She thought Jeremy' actions triggered it, but they were just complimenting Phoebe on her drawing and talking about favorite colors. What did that have to do with Jeremy? She'd have to ask Prue later.

While Prue did her homework, Piper helped Phoebe with hers, which was coming up with all words that rhymed with at, ball, and bell.

_Inside, Piper felt a little wary of the situation, her daughter going out with new friends she didn't know. Prue could be taken to a dangerous location in town. Mostly, though, she was delighted that her daughter could finally be out and about after years of having to stay in and care for her and Phoebe._

Prue wore her best red blouse and black jeans for her girls' night out and hugged her mother and sister goodbye before going out the door and down the stairs.

"Have fun! Bye!" Piper called out and waved Prue off.

"Bye-bye!" Phoebe echoed.

At around eight, Piper and Phoebe got in bed together. They had a small television with no cable, but they also had some DVDs from a nearby library. They liked the movie they watched together and laughed at the funny parts. Prue got home at around eleven when Phoebe was fast asleep in Piper's lap.

"Hi, Mom!" Prue whispered.

"Hey, sweetie, how was your time?"

"Awesome. I just bought dinner, since I didn't want to spend extra money on stuff I don't really need. Clothes, shoes, jewelry, and a purse were really tempting to get! I know we're short on cash, though."

Piper smiled apologetically. "I see."

"They're planning a movie night at the theater and then a sleepover at Tanya's place next Friday night, and they really want me to go."

"That's fine by me, as long as Tanya picks you up again or you meet her somewhere."

"I know the drill, Mom." Prue got up on the bed and scooted close to Piper's side. "You know, they'll start asking questions that I won't know how to respond. Like, why haven't they met my mom yet? You have to come out of the shadows and meet these girls. They're really nice. I don't want them to think you left me to fend for myself at the dark train station."

"I don't want anyone from your school seeing me. They'll connect the pieces and discover that we are the poorest family in San Francisco and that just doesn't fly at your school. This is a secret we are protecting."

"They can meet you at the train station, not here...and you've got to make friends with their parents, at least."

Piper put her hands in her head and groaned.

"Please, Mom?" Prue begged. "You can't hide from the world forever."

"I suppose you're right...go get your pajamas on and get in bed. Good night, I love you, sweetie."

"Love you too."

An evening social mixer was being held at the kids' school some days later. It was the perfect opportunity for Piper to make some friends. She wore makeup and her best outfit, a black blouse and a pair of skinny jeans, so she wouldn't look too poor. She was shy and wanted to just stay in the background and stuff her face with the treats they provided.

Two women came up to her and she started feeling socially awkward and out of place. The shorter woman was wearing a pink dress and heels, while the taller one was wearing black dress pants, flats, and a pretty blue top. All Piper had for shoes were flip flops and sneakers, and she chose the flip flops. She had sold her heels for that fancy blouse.

"Hi, I don't think I've seen you at one of these before. I'm Paige Matthews, and this is my friend, Brittany. Our husbands are chatting with the other men here."

"Oh, hi...I'm Piper Halliwell. It's nice to meet you." They shook hands with Piper.

"How long have you been living here?" Brittany asked.

"Not long, just a bit over two weeks," Piper admitted.

"How do you like San Francisco?" Paige asked.

"It's pretty cool so far. Tough finding a job, though."

"So, what's been your favorite activity here so far?" Brittany asked.

"Just being with my girls. I have two kids, Prue, who's sixteen, and Phoebe, who's four."

"I have two kids as well, but they're both teenagers. Tanya is Prue's age and Andy is seventeen, almost eighteen," Brittany said.

"Baby on the way." Paige patted her stomach happily.

"Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, a girl, but we haven't decided on a name yet!"

"Hm, okay!"

They introduced Piper to their husbands. Henry and Max were polite and didn't seem at all creepy. After a few minutes of meaningless chitchat, she found out Paige was Prue's teacher and the mother of Kat, Tamora, and Henry Jr.

Piper noticed that none of the women asked where or who her husband was. Maybe she just had that look that told everyone she was single. If people did ask, she'd simply explain that he died. She'd use the word 'passed away' so she wouldn't sound uncaring.

"Piper?"

"Yeah?" She had to look around to see who spoke. It was Paige.

"You lost us for a second there. We were trying to ask you if you wanted to go on a group date with us. It would be all of us and our husbands. Your man can come, too."

_Oh, great..._

"Um, I don't really have a man. He passed away and I'm not into romance." Piper frowned.

"My gosh, I'm so sorry! You can still come with us as a fifth wheel..." Brittany looked at her guiltily.

"It's okay, I don't mind. A girls night out would be fine, though."

"Cool, when are you free? Next Friday night? We usually go shopping," Paige let her know.

"Yeah, I can go then. Thanks for inviting me," Piper replied.

"No problem! We love our new friends!" Paige said excitedly.

"New York is history!" Piper said too loudly. "Here, it's more interesting."

Hours later, Piper took the train home and slipped in the doorway. She expected her children to be sleeping, but they were conversing back and forth quietly. She strained her ears so she could eavesdrop. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"...and that's how the fairies got away! They realized they just could not vanquish that evil demon because he and the fairy queen were so bound to each other. Even though he hurt her, their marriage was too strong to be broken. With Queen Janie's ability to move things with her mind-"

"Like Matilda?"

"Yes, like Matilda. So with that special power, it grew stronger over the years, and she could now move him far away out the door and then they all had time to escape the dungeon. Now, you know he has no idea about their magical powers, so they had an advantage over him. The younger fairy princess Jenny could freeze him if needed."

"Why couldn't she do that before?"

"She could, but time didn't stop for too long, only a few seconds. Then as the years went by, the time she was able to freeze grew longer and longer. Her baby sister Julie, could see the future and past, so she helped them to realize all their mistakes and if he was close to finding them or not. That's how we-I mean, they, ended up in the magical land of San Francisco. It was a happily ever after."

"What happened after that?"

Piper chose to tiptoe into the room at that exact moment. The girls jumped slightly and they stared at her with wide eyes, like deer caught in headlights.

"Girls, what are we talking about?"

"It's nothing," Prue grumbled quickly. "Phoebe, time for bed, come on. How was the social mixer, Mom?"

"It was...fine. I met some nice women. Can we just talk? You and I?"

"About what?"

Piper took a seat next to Prue on the bed. "That story you were telling Phoebe."

"Oh, that." Prue laughed nervously. "That's a secret. We can't tell you."

"Yes you can, because I'm your mother, I've heard half of it, and I won't judge you wrongly for it."

Prue sighed. "Okay, fine. When I was little, I made up stories in my head. You and I could fly away from Jeremy. When Phoebe was born, I gave us three magical powers. We have red spots on our hands that only we can see that shows that we have those powers. I fantasized that I was telekinetic, you were a time freezer, and Phoebe was clairvoyant. I changed our names to keep it as an inside thing between Phoebe and myself. Sometimes I called us good witches and other times I called us fairy princesses. We were vampires on Halloween and we bit Jeremy and drained him. He was the demon in all of my supernatural stories about us. It was how we coped, and I didn't want to tell you because I knew you would be upset."

Piper removed her hand from her open mouth. She felt a lump in her throat and hugged her oldest baby. "I'm not upset..."

"You're about to cry. I'm so sorry, Mom..."

"No, no, I'm so happy that you helped Phoebe and yourself stay strong through all we've been through. I was just surprised, although, I should have expected something like this to happen. So, I can freeze time?" Piper sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Did I ever make a chandelier fall on him?"

Prue giggled. "You developed exploding powers and caused him to slam into walls and everything knocked him to the ground. When I was little, you froze him and I moved him into a manhole. When he realized what we did, he yelled and cried like a baby! It was so hilarious! His reactions to his downfalls made me feel a lot better about the situation."

Piper chuckled along with Prue. "Softens the harsh reality, huh?"

"Yes. I loved escaping the world! It's so fun to finally have someone else to share my stories with. Thanks for understanding, Mom."

"It's not a problem at all. I love how sweet you are with your sister. It's those moments that I realize you two are bonded."

"It's not complete without you."

Piper's heart warmed and she patted Prue's cheek. "You're a doll. So are you, little one!" She pulled Phoebe in her arms and tickled her belly. Phoebe squealed happily and kicked her legs. Prue pushed them both back down on the bed and they rolled around and poked each other until they were all tired out. They were having fun with each other and knowing about the stories made Piper feel a lot closer to her daughters.

**Thank you for reading and reviewing: CharmedAddict, Aviva426, pbyrond, PrincessRedfern, and Shelley101! ****Leave your thoughts, I'd love to read them :D **

**for those of you who are reading my other story, Keep Me Safe, it's just been updated as of last Tuesday, so reviews are welcomed for that one too :)**

**Also...HAPPY NEW YEAR! Yay 2014!**


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